These are the first official pictures of the new 2011 Vauxhall Meriva car, which is made to turn the conventional concept of family-car usability on its head with a combination of smart, rear-hinged back doors which radically improve access/egress, and a raft of unique cabin features that boost interior versatility.

The new Vauxhall Meriva, which will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2010, is the first Vauxhall to feature FlexDoors, showcased in 2008’s Meriva design concept.

2011 Vauxhall Meriva

2011 Vauxhall Meriva

2011 Vauxhall Meriva

FlexDoors are rear-hinged back doors which swing open towards the back of the car at an angle of nearly 90 degrees, vastly improving the ease with which occupants enter and leave the cabin. Rather than having to step back, or to one side, as one would using a normal front-hinged door, the FlexDoor allows unimpeded forward access/egress to and from the cabin, enhanced further by the Vauxhall Meriva’s exceptionally high roof line.